Coventry school scoops global green award

Evelyn (front, holding award) with Jayda, Oliver, Chloe Brady, Sophie and Nevil

Source: Advent Communications

Caring and conscientious pupils and staff at a Coventry school are celebrating after landing a major award.

Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, part of the Romero Catholic Academy, has been presented with a LiveSimply Award in honour of its students' unswerving devotion to helping others.

Thirty-two children from Years 1 to 6 took part in a range of community-spirited initiatives, each embodying the principles of living simply, sustainably and in solidarity with others. These led to the prestigious accolade from CAFOD.

Members of the school's Chaplaincy, Eco and School Council teams visited Arden Park Residential Home to speak to and entertain residents.

They even wrote cards and prayers for the elderly, displayed inside the school hall alongside a gallery of photos, and delivered flowers that had been donated for the school's sacred statue of Mary.

Eileen Osborne, a teaching assistant at Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, said the award was testament to the hard work of pupils and staff.

"Pope Francis spoke about bridging the gap between the older and the younger generation at his general audience in June 2022," she said. "And that is exactly what we did with a succession of heart-warming activities that really struck a chord with the care home residents and the pupils themselves. The cards they wrote were very much appreciated by the care home and made a lot of the elderly smile!"

Sustainability, the environment and financial equality were other themes explored during the course of the awards programme which CAFOD says 'enables Catholic communities to care for God's creation and stand in solidarity with our global family'.

Litter picks were arranged to spruce up the school grounds and surrounding area, book swaps regularly held to reinforce the importance of recycling and bird boxes built to help encourage more wildlife.

Students collected milk bottles and bottle tops that were turned into medals for runners in the Oslo Marathon as part of an eco-recycling project and ensured recycling bins were put in each classroom, earning SSPP an Eco Schools Green Flag Award in the process.

A whole host of fundraising initiatives were devised, including a bric-a-brac toy sale and cake sale, with all proceeds going to CAFOD. Pupils also spearheaded a harvest collection for the local foodbank in a further show of support for those less fortunate than themselves.

CAFOD's LiveSimply assessor Siobhan Farnell said the award was richly deserved, adding that the scheme's values were "truly embedded within the school."

For more information about the award visit: https://cafod.org.uk/campaign/livesimply-award